Philips Fidelio SoundRing Portable AirPlay Speaker

The SoundRing has a spherical design with two front-firing and two side-firing drivers giving it 360 degrees of sound. There are two models: The DS3880W with a rechargeable battery giving it ultimate portability and listening time of around 5 hours and the DS3800W non-portable unit with a cheaper price. I really like the minimalistic look of the SoundRing. It does what the JBL On Air might have been trying to do, but with class and portability.

Here’s a marketing video from Philips showcasing the SoundRing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BznI9QaSAY

Expected release is October in Europe at a price of €349.99 and €279.99 for the chargeable and non-chargeable units. US release and price unknown.

The JBL On Air is horrible. The sound is tiny and you are not able to adjust the EQ at all. I’m glad some of these other companies took their time. It seems that they are on the right track for performance/price.

I don’t get the portability factor, if you need Wifi network then you can’t leave the house with it. And if you are using a speaker for your iPad in the kitchen then portability isn’t needed. This whole AirPlay thing is bugging the crap out of me. I want a decent non-portable AirPlay speaker with no remote – isn’t that the point of AirPlay – but I can’t find one. The best one I’ve seen is the Libratone Live, but at €699 I could cry.

When Steve announced AirPlay in early 2010 I jumped for joy, but I have been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. AirPlay is the dream that never materialised.

What about having a kitchen-speaker and when having a barbecue picking it up and taking it with you to the garden? At least that’s the reason I want it chargeable.
If you don’t need it to be portable, and you don’t want to spend to much money, why not consider an airport express and some reasonable powered speakers like computer speakers?
I am still very fond of airplay. One library (iMac), music everywhere when I want it. Controlled from the iPhone. Fantastic!